Python requests.options Function

The requests.options function in Python’s requests module is used to make HTTP OPTIONS requests.

This function is typically used to find out the HTTP methods that are supported by a web server for a specific URL. It can also be used to retrieve other communication options available for the target resource.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. requests.options Function Syntax
3. Examples
   • Basic Usage
   • Using Query Parameters
   • Sending Headers
   • Handling Responses
4. Real-World Use Case
5. Conclusion

Introduction

The requests.options function is part of the requests module, which makes it easy to make HTTP requests in Python. You can use this function to send an OPTIONS request to a web server to determine the capabilities of the server or the allowed methods for a particular resource.

requests.options Function Syntax

Here’s how you use the requests.options function:

import requests

response = requests.options(url, **kwargs)

Parameters:

• url: The URL for the request.
• **kwargs: Optional arguments to customize the request. Common ones include:
  • params: Dictionary to send in the query string.
  • headers: Dictionary of HTTP headers to send with the request.

Returns:

• A Response object containing the server’s response to the HTTP request.

Examples

Basic Usage

Send a simple OPTIONS request to a URL.

import requests

response = requests.options('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1')
print(response.headers)

Output:

{'Date': 'Fri, 26 Jul 2024 09:31:56 GMT', 'Content-Length': '0', 'Connection': 'keep-alive', 'Report-To': '{"group":"heroku-nel","max_age":3600,"endpoints":[{"url":"https://nel.heroku.com/reports?ts=1721986316&sid=e11707d5-02a7-43ef-b45e-2cf4d2036f7d&s=CO7E2M1b6DfAnWhflxd%2BGEM3ErdLK6BdByXjpzxs6g4%3D"}]}', 'Reporting-Endpoints': 'heroku-nel=https://nel.heroku.com/reports?ts=1721986316&sid=e11707d5-02a7-43ef-b45e-2cf4d2036f7d&s=CO7E2M1b6DfAnWhflxd%2BGEM3ErdLK6BdByXjpzxs6g4%3D', 'Nel': '{"report_to":"heroku-nel","max_age":3600,"success_fraction":0.005,"failure_fraction":0.05,"response_headers":["Via"]}', 'X-Powered-By': 'Express', 'X-Ratelimit-Limit': '1000', 'X-Ratelimit-Remaining': '999', 'X-Ratelimit-Reset': '1721986337', 'Vary': 'Origin, Access-Control-Request-Headers', 'Access-Control-Allow-Credentials': 'true', 'Access-Control-Allow-Methods': 'GET,HEAD,PUT,PATCH,POST,DELETE', 'Via': '1.1 vegur', 'CF-Cache-Status': 'DYNAMIC', 'Server': 'cloudflare', 'CF-RAY': '8a93612faf173cec-CDG', 'alt-svc': 'h3=":443"; ma=86400'}

Using Query Parameters

Send an OPTIONS request with query parameters.

import requests

params = {'userId': 1}
response = requests.options('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts', params=params)
print(response.headers)

Output:

{'Date': 'Fri, 26 Jul 2024 09:31:57 GMT', 'Content-Length': '0', 'Connection': 'keep-alive', 'Report-To': '{"group":"heroku-nel","max_age":3600,"endpoints":[{"url":"https://nel.heroku.com/reports?ts=1721986317&sid=e11707d5-02a7-43ef-b45e-2cf4d2036f7d&s=H0HDQlDt84JhloLm1hChXz3Df0fRUDfxDr2mMUDCwhc%3D"}]}', 'Reporting-Endpoints': 'heroku-nel=https://nel.heroku.com/reports?ts=1721986317&sid=e11707d5-02a7-43ef-b45e-2cf4d2036f7d&s=H0HDQlDt84JhloLm1hChXz3Df0fRUDfxDr2mMUDCwhc%3D', 'Nel': '{"report_to":"heroku-nel","max_age":3600,"success_fraction":0.005,"failure_fraction":0.05,"response_headers":["Via"]}', 'X-Powered-By': 'Express', 'X-Ratelimit-Limit': '1000', 'X-Ratelimit-Remaining': '998', 'X-Ratelimit-Reset': '1721986337', 'Vary': 'Origin, Access-Control-Request-Headers', 'Access-Control-Allow-Credentials': 'true', 'Access-Control-Allow-Methods': 'GET,HEAD,PUT,PATCH,POST,DELETE', 'Via': '1.1 vegur', 'CF-Cache-Status': 'DYNAMIC', 'Server': 'cloudflare', 'CF-RAY': '8a9361352d960dfa-MXP', 'alt-svc': 'h3=":443"; ma=86400'}

Sending Headers

Send custom headers with an OPTIONS request.

import requests

headers = {'Authorization': 'Bearer your_token'}
response = requests.options('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1', headers=headers)
print(response.headers)

Output:

{'Date': 'Fri, 26 Jul 2024 09:31:58 GMT', 'Content-Length': '0', 'Connection': 'keep-alive', 'Report-To': '{"group":"heroku-nel","max_age":3600,"endpoints":[{"url":"https://nel.heroku.com/reports?ts=1721986318&sid=e11707d5-02a7-43ef-b45e-2cf4d2036f7d&s=S0mbGgohl1EimMK0jy5yRWwKbD6ljvU07G8Eeg4t0kI%3D"}]}', 'Reporting-Endpoints': 'heroku-nel=https://nel.heroku.com/reports?ts=1721986318&sid=e11707d5-02a7-43ef-b45e-2cf4d2036f7d&s=S0mbGgohl1EimMK0jy5yRWwKbD6ljvU07G8Eeg4t0kI%3D', 'Nel': '{"report_to":"heroku-nel","max_age":3600,"success_fraction":0.005,"failure_fraction":0.05,"response_headers":["Via"]}', 'X-Powered-By': 'Express', 'X-Ratelimit-Limit': '1000', 'X-Ratelimit-Remaining': '997', 'X-Ratelimit-Reset': '1721986337', 'Vary': 'Origin, Access-Control-Request-Headers', 'Access-Control-Allow-Credentials': 'true', 'Access-Control-Allow-Methods': 'GET,HEAD,PUT,PATCH,POST,DELETE', 'Via': '1.1 vegur', 'CF-Cache-Status': 'DYNAMIC', 'Server': 'cloudflare', 'CF-RAY': '8a93613b4acb59e3-MXP', 'alt-svc': 'h3=":443"; ma=86400'}

Handling Responses

Send an OPTIONS request and handle the response headers.

import requests

response = requests.options('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1')
if response.status_code == 200:
    print('Allowed methods:', response.headers.get('allow'))
else:
    print('Failed to retrieve allowed methods')

Output:

Failed to retrieve allowed methods

Real-World Use Case

Checking Allowed Methods

Check the HTTP methods allowed by a server for a specific URL.

import requests

url = 'https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1'
response = requests.options(url)
if response.status_code == 200:
    print('Allowed methods:', response.headers.get('allow'))
else:
    print('Failed to retrieve allowed methods')

Output:

Failed to retrieve allowed methods

Conclusion

The requests.options function is used for making HTTP OPTIONS requests in Python. You can use it to determine the capabilities of a web server, retrieve allowed methods for a resource, and include custom headers. This function makes it easy to interact with web services and gather information about the communication options available for a specific resource.